VIVO Pro Kabaddi season 7 begins its 'Toughest Half'

Match 66 of VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 7 between Dabang Delhi K.C. and Patna Pirates marked the mid-point of the league stage of this campaign and the action so far has been nothing short of breath-taking. From Naveen Kumar’s outstanding nine successive Super 10s to the domination of defenders. The first half of the season was undoubtedly a package full of surprises. With the beginning of the second half of the league stage, which is the toughest half, Captains and Coaches of teams met in Bengaluru to share their thoughts on the ‘Toughest Half’ of the season.

Speaking during the mid-season review press conference, here is what coaches have to say -

Randhir Singh, Coach, Bengaluru Bulls said, “We have completed 13 matches, and at the mid-season the first thing we have realised that #IssToughKuchNahi – the team through the first half has moved on the points table after very match. All my fellow coaches seated here will agree that the competition this season is extreme. Second thing is the beauty of the league which has changed the thought of Kabaddi being a raiders game; for the past 6 seasons raiders dominated – but this season there’s a clear domination of defence in all teams. Third is the love that these players are getting from their fans – I wish I was a player in today’s time. VIVO Pro Kabaddi has pulled up the stature of the game and given so many players a platform to show their skills. The league has given us stars who were all NYP’s – Vishal Bhardwaj, Pawan Sehrawat, Naveen Kumar, Pardeep Narwal. Fans and viewers, you are in for the ‘Toughest’ Half – you will see big changes in the points table; the team in the 8th position can rise up to the 4th, and vice-versa.”

Srinivas Reddy, Coach, Jaipur Pink Panthers said, “The seventh season of VIVO Pro Kabaddi League is unpredictable. Every team is performing so well, sometimes unexpected things happen – the team at the bottom of the table wins against the table topper. Every second of the 40minutes match is valuable, and all players are aware, and are making sure they give their best till the end; it’s a no give-up attitude. Especially this season, which is all about the defender’s game – the reason behind this is the Super Tackles; it’s becoming a game changer. Initially Kabaddi was a raiders game, now it’s important to have a balanced squad and all 7 members together, playing in a united form can only take the team to victory.”

Gholamreza Mazandarani, Coach, Telugu Titans said, “Kabaddi has become more like a game of Chess; one wrong move can change the result completely. Every match is turning out to be extremely tough and competitive – every player is putting in their best to take the team towards victory. As of today, all teams have equal chance to qualify for the play-offs – no one is out of the race. Strategising is important, and all teams should play with a strategy for the oppositions offence and defence, and most importantly play together as a unit.”

Anup Kumar, Coach, Puneri Paltan said, “This season in indeed tough, all teams are performing well and giving their best shot. But one thing that should be taken care of by coaches is the weaknesses of the team - there have been games where all the seven players perform very well, and some games where all 7 fail. In such situations understanding the problem and fixing it with an alternate route or strategy is important. All NYP players who are coming from the NYP programme of the league are performing extremely well. Their performance reflects well on Kabaddi and shows the growth scale of the sport. They are the future and the face of the sport, and I would encourage more players from the NYP programme to be part of the league.”

Speaking during the mid-season review press conference, here is what defenders have to say -

Joginder Narwal, Captain, Dabang Delhi K.C. said, “We are half-way through the league and no team has a confirmed spot for the playoffs, any team can move up on the table depending upon their performance. However, the one thing that is surely going to happen is that the upcoming matches are going to be some of the toughest ones in the season. Every team will put their best foot forward to grab a spot in the playoffs. Even though Dabang Delhi is at the top of the table now, I can assure you that the team is not over-confident – every game is still a big one for us. We understand this can change any moment due to the new format and to ensure we hold our spot, we must constantly keep proving ourselves on the mat. We are extremely thankful to the constant support our fans have provided us with – we are happy that the team has performed immensely well this year.”

Fazel ‘The Sultan’ Atrachali, Captain, U Mumba said, “This season is extremely competitive and good for the teams as everyone plays their opponent twice and the ‘luck’ factor is ruled out. In the previous seasons, there would be possibilities that either one of the groups would be easier than the other. This is the ideal format, as it gives the teams the right platform to show their game and make the league and the sport tougher. Kabaddi is also continuously evolving, earlier one good raider could change the game, now it’ not the same. It’s teamwork that matters, and if you perform together as a unit, it becomes extremely tough for the opponent to win.”

Vishal Bharadwaj, ace defender, Telugu Titans said, “This season is extremely tough as compared to last season, no team has secured its spot in the playoffs. The upcoming matches in the second half of the league are extremely important as it will decide the fate of the team for the play offs – it all depends on the teams’ performance on the mat that can change even in the last minute of the game. These elements of competitiveness and surprise make every game tough and the league toughest.”

Speaking during the mid-season review press conference, here is what raiders have to say -

‘Hi-Flyer’ Pawan Sehrawat, Green Sleeve Holder and ace raider of Bengaluru Bulls said, “The defence is really strong this season because of which, raiders are finding it tough to score. The defenders come in with a specific plan in mind to tackle some of the raiders like Siddharth Desai, Naveen Kumar, Pardeep Narwal and me. If you notice, compared to the last season, this season, the points scored by the raiders is quite less; that is because of the strong defence and Super Tackles by defenders. This is a great evolution for Kabaddi as a sport. The tougher the game gets, the more challenges we face, making us work harder and in turn giving our best performance to win the game. The new format is great, we don’t have groups – the team that plays well qualifies for the playoffs. As a team, Dabang Delhi is performing well, as the ‘Toughest Half’ begins – let’s see who finally qualifies for the play offs.”

Siddharth ‘Baahubali’ Desai, ace raider, Telugu Titans said, “This season is a tough one, and over the past couple of months, I have learnt a lot of new skills. Last year, I used to get points in all the skills that I used to apply, but this season, things have changed. The defenders and coaches from other teams have analysed my strengths, seen where I get maximum points from and have worked accordingly - thus, making it difficult for me to make points. So, right now, I’m trying to change my skill set and adapt new moves. Hopefully, I’ll play a better game in the second half of the season and take the team up in the points table.”

Pardeep ‘Record-Breaker’ Narwal, Captain, Patna Pirates said, “As a team, we are concentrating on playing better in the next matches and not repeating our mistakes. The toughest half of the season has begun, and we look forward to starting on a winning note. We are also working on our defence and offence, and hopefully it’ll be a good second half for the team.”